No.1 in basketball scoring
Chapter 346 - 164. Bad boy Zhang San doesn’t hold grudges overnight!_2

Chapter 346: 164. Bad boy Zhang San doesn’t hold grudges overnight!_2

He had no choice but to fight back if they were going to beat him up, so be it, let the brawl begin! His sword was not dull either! (╬￣皿￣)=○

Both teams’ point guards took turns firing away, and the game quickly escalated into a shootout.

Nash attacked for three straight possessions, shooting 2 for 3, and the one that didn’t go in spun around the rim before falling out, leaving Gerald Wallace no choice but to call for reinforcements.

If they kept playing this way, Gerald Wallace was afraid the Son of the Wind would put up a 40+ point game.

Nash had already scored two 40+ point games this season in less than two months.

Once when Kidd refused to believe it and insisted on switching to guard Marion, attempting to defend Nash on the pick-and-roll, Nash exploded for 42 points and 13 assists; another time was a shootout with Arenas, where he scored 42 points and dished out 12 assists.

Not only did they fail to prevent Nash from scoring, but they also allowed him to exceed his season average in assists.

The Bobcats began to double-team Nash, and their defensive formation was quickly torn apart by Nash’s passing.

However, the Suns’ defense didn’t require any special tactics from the Bobcats, Zhang Yang and Felton just needed to keep pressuring Nash, and when the two needed a break, Okafor could go into the low post against Stoudemire.

Raja Bell and Marion, trying to cover three men, simply couldn’t keep the pace.

The Bobcats started with a 12-8 run, but the Suns responded with a 14-10 spurt midway through the first quarter. At the end of the quarter, Zhang Yang, faced with Raja Bell’s defense beyond the 3-point line, opted not to pass to the substituted Rondo but instead took an unexpected three-point shot and hit it, leading the Bobcats to a 10-7 finish.

The first quarter ended with the score at 32-29, the Bobcats leading the Suns by 3 points.

A 3-point lead over the Suns was hardly enough to claim the initiative, and the Suns opened the second quarter with a defensive counter and a three-pointer to tie the game.

The one who scored was Nash, who hadn’t scored since the first quarter but started the second with a dribble break and a trailing three-pointer, signaling to the Bobcats—there’s a handsome guy here, come double-team me.

The Suns’ offense grew even more ferocious, and in the first 6 minutes and 11 seconds of the quarter, they slammed in 22 points. In the same span, with Zhang Yang and Gerald Wallace off the floor, the Bobcats’ offense slowed down a bit, netting only 14 points, and the Suns overtook them with a score of 51-46, leading by 5 points.

Relying on Rondo’s penetration, Felton’s catch-and-shoot, and Okafor’s one-on-one, scoring was indeed slower.

Entering the official timeout, Bickerstaff made up his mind and substituted in the lineup of Rondo, Zhang Yang, Matt Carroll, Gerald Wallace, and Millsap. With speed cranked to the max, they clashed with the Suns.

The Suns had been on the offensive for half a quarter and were relatively fatigued, allowing the Bobcats to counter with a 19-13 run in 5 minutes and 49 seconds.

At halftime, the Bobcats regained the lead with a 65-64 score, going into the break ahead!

D’Antoni’s face turned as red as a pig’s liver, which always seemed to happen when he encountered trouble.

Returning to the locker room, D’Antoni said to assistant coach Alvin Gentry, "I didn’t expect it to turn out this way. That old man on the other side, he’s really worthy of being a coach who managed to reach the Western Conference Finals with just 39 wins, whatever lineup he dares to send out!"

Gentry: "Bickerstaff’s on-the-spot reactions are indeed impressive. Other teams, when hit with a half-quarter score of 22-14, would steady the ship by playing their starters, but he counters with a lineup without a center and takes us on directly."

D’Antoni: "He is quite remarkable, but he’s only good with teams that are growing. Talented players in their growth phase have unlimited potential, and he always comes up with stuff the opponents can’t anticipate. However, once the stars mature, he’s not as effective as a coach. He’s not great at building systems. He probably has realized his shortcomings too, there are rumors that the Bobcats are already looking for a new head coach. They must have approached you too, Alvin."

Gentry laughed, "You found out, huh? We had just arrived at the hotel yesterday afternoon when Jordan called Steve (Kerr), wanting to talk to me."

There’s no need to be secretive about such matters; just say it outright.

Typically, if a team’s assistant coach is invited by another team to become the head coach, the parent team would grant the release graciously. If there’s a contract, they would usually negotiate a peaceful release, parting on good terms, because the coach might become successful elsewhere and could possibly return to the original team in the future.

Of course, there are exceptions. The Miami Heat, with Pat Riley demoting Van Gundy from the head coach position but not firing him, reassigned him to an assistant. Many teams wanted to invite Van Gundy to be the head coach, but the mastermind just wouldn’t let go, insisting on a trade involving draft picks, squeezing every bit of value out of Van Gundy until the end.

This kind of move in the entire history of the NBA is also quite rare, with the last team to do something similar being the Knicks, and the coach who was traded was also named Van Gundy. The Rockets traded for him with a second-round pick.

D’Antoni: "Although the Bobcats’ role players are a bit average, their core four and that rookie named Rondo have tremendous talent. The team atmosphere is also good, with Bickerstaff as the general manager, Felton has strong leadership qualities, and there’s Muhammad. For your first time as a head coach, going there would be a solid choice."

Gentry: "I think it’s a nice place too, but it seems Jordan just considers me a backup option. He just briefly asked about my coaching philosophy and didn’t dig deeper... Having dinner with him is like dining with an old Englishman, so troublesome."

D’Antoni handed the clipboard to Gentry: "In that case, let him see what you’re capable of. Given how the game is going, it’s going to be on you now."

Gentry took the clipboard, surprised to hear what seemed like D’Antoni encouraging him to go for the Bobcats’ head coaching position.